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Several technological enhancements
have been made to METI’s commercial
Emergency Care Simulator (ECS) with
regard to how microgravity affects human
physiology. The ECS uses both a software only
lung simulation, and an integrated
mannequin lung that uses a physical lung
bag for creating chest excursions, and a
digital simulation of lung mechanics and
gas exchange. METI’s patient simulators
incorporate models of human physiology
that simulate lung and chest wall mechanics,
as well as pulmonary gas exchange.

Microgravity affects how O2 and CO2
are exchanged in the lungs. Procedures
were also developed to take into affect the
Glasgow Coma Scale for determining levels
of consciousness by varying the ECS
eye-blinking function to partially indicate
the level of consciousness of the patient. In
addition, the ECS was modified to provide
various levels of pulses from weak and
thready to hyper-dynamic to assist in
assessing patient conditions from the
femoral, carotid, brachial, and pedal pulse
locations.

This work was done by Nigel Parker and
Veronica O’Quinn of Medical Education
Tech, Inc. for Johnson Space Center. MSC-23922-1

This Brief includes a Technical Support Package (TSP).

Developing Physiologic Models for Emergency Medical Procedures Under Microgravity (reference MSC-23922-1) is currently available for download from the TSP library.

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